I love when people say things out loud. When reflecting on his time as the executive director of the @dcpcsb, Scott Pearson outlines some of charters’ big losses this past year, and why charter parents “aren’t with us” on many issues. https://www.educationnext.org/5-things-we-learned-d-c-how-to-advance-charter-schools/

"We lost last year when the City Council regulated suspensions and expulsions." (Losing for charters is regulating how many times kids can be suspended.)

"And we lost this year when the City Council mandated open charter-school governing-board meetings." (Losing for charters is having to abide by open meetings act.)

"We know there is more waiting in the wings–limits to growth, teacher representatives on charter boards, efforts to control our spending and our curricula."

"Why hasn’t our 47 percent market share protected us? Principally because, for most issues that chip away at our autonomies, our parent bodies aren’t with us."

"If someone tries to close a school, or cut funding, everyone can get behind opposing that. But restricting suspensions, or mandating minutes of PE, or specifying the organic content of school breakfast isn’t something that the avg charter school parent will turn out to protest."

Could it also be that parents actually support those things?

"Even a moratorium on future growth isn’t aggrieving to the typical charter school parent (or even school leader). After all, they already have a school."

"Moreover, charter schools have done a pretty bad job of building their parent bodies or their teaching staff into a political force.. Many are wary of the unintended consequences of having an organized parent or student body."

"And more than a few have alienated their community through the “my way or the highway” attitude that some schools of choice exhibit. Indeed, it is notable that among our most active charter opponents are 20-somethings who graduated from a DC charter in the past decade."

Parents cannot be trusted within the ed reform framework. Charters exist so parents get to choose a school for their kids, but not to the extent that parents determine anything about how the school operates, not to mention which schools should be opened or closed.

Parents also can’t be trusted to select schools based on more than a single 5-star rating. So we have to give parents a 5-star rating to “nudge” them in the right direction.

Teachers can’t be trusted in this framework. They might actually represent the interest of teachers on charter school boards (God forbid!). And unions are evil for that reason in this framework.

Okay, so if parent, student, and teacher voice is BAD for charters, WHOSE voice is good? When you understand this, then the DC education scene will make a lot more sense.

Many people who say they represent parents and teachers actually do not. At all. You know who elected officials represent by their (a) funding sources and (b) how they vote on issues.

And how can charters get away with not listening to the voices of parents, teachers, and students? Wait, there’s more...

"Perhaps one of the keys to the success of modern education reform in DC is that reformers aren’t just charter leaders. They start at the office of the mayor and extend to DCPS and charter leadership..."

"I remember being in a room at one point with the deputy mayor for education, the state superintendent for education, and the chancellor of DCPS. All were Teach for America alumni except me." Control all of the positions of power, check.

He does end on a good note… "DC charters have to get savvier too. That means finding ways to build parent support, even if it ultimately means ceding more voice, and even some control, to members of their community..."

"Only when parents, teachers, and students feel a stake in the mission, and future, of their school, will our 47 percent really mean much politically." Yes, and when/if charters include parent, teacher, and student voice, they will and should have more clout politically.

And, to be fair, DCPS schools are under mayoral control, which is also a system that shuts out teacher, student, and parent voice. The question is WHO has power. Keep in mind that somebody always has power. It’s just not the stakeholders in the District of Columbia.